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Jamaica-theme Super Bowl ad: Racist?

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Some would like them to be joined by this VW ad about a happy-go-lucky white guy who tells his office mates to be happy in his Jamaican accent.

"It's pretty horrific," says Ricki Fairley-Brown, president of the multicultural marketing agency Dove Marketing. "Why do they have a white guy from Minnesota faking a Jamaican accent?"
Even more tro
ubled by the spot is Rochelle Newman-Carrasco, chief hispanic marketing strategist at Walton Isaacson, an African-American, Gay/Lesbian and Hispanic agency. "What happens in this ad is that the culture becomes a punch line, and that is offensive."

Pop cultural guru Barbara Lippert is not amused, either. "It made me uncomfortable to see all of those white people in an office setting doing this," she says. "I found it offensive."

Almost 40 years ago Mel Brooks made Blazing Saddles and people flocked to see that movie. It became an instant classic and people got it. You figure people would have got over this by now. Instead we've become such sensitive d-bags about this stuff.

"Politics is the Art of Looking for Trouble, Finding it Everywhere, Diagnosing it Incorrectly, and Applying the Wrong Remedies"

There are plenty of actors who grew up in that culture and naturally speak that dialect and could have been cast in the commercial. The implication is that a person with dark skin would never have a job in a professional setting.

In addition, there's only ONE person with the characteristics of a "native Jamaican" cast in the entire commercial ... and that person is located at the front right of the elevator where the elevator operator would be in the past. The obvious implication that the only job in building suitable for a person with dark skin is pushing buttons on the elevator. I'm almost surprised that the producers did not have that actress in dread locks and wearing a bellhop type uniform.

I suppose if the script called for the commercial to be filmed after the office was closed for the day then the racist writers would have had a janitor in the background.

“I’m somewhat disappointed that more African Americans don’t think for themselves and just go with whatever they’re supposed to say and think."

There are plenty of actors who grew up in that culture and naturally speak that dialect and could have been cast in the commercial. The implication is that a person with dark skin would never have a job in a professional setting.

In addition, there's only ONE person with the characteristics of a "native Jamaican" cast in the entire commercial ... and that person is located at the front right of the elevator where the elevator operator would be in the past. The obvious implication that the only job in building suitable for a person with dark skin is pushing buttons on the elevator. I'm almost surprised that the producers did not have that actress in dread locks and wearing a bellhop type uniform.

I suppose if the script called for the commercial to be filmed after the office was closed for the day then the racist writers would have had a janitor in the background.

There are plenty of actors who grew up in that culture and naturally speak that dialect and could have been cast in the commercial. The implication is that a person with dark skin would never have a job in a professional setting.

In addition, there's only ONE person with the characteristics of a "native Jamaican" cast in the entire commercial ... and that person is located at the front right of the elevator where the elevator operator would be in the past. The obvious implication that the only job in building suitable for a person with dark skin is pushing buttons on the elevator. I'm almost surprised that the producers did not have that actress in dread locks and wearing a bellhop type uniform.

I suppose if the script called for the commercial to be filmed after the office was closed for the day then the racist writers would have had a janitor in the background.

I think the only "implication" they are shooting for is that its hilarious to see a corporate white guy speaking with a heavy Jamaican accent. The commercial wouldnt be funny if they had a black Jamaican as the actor. It takes quite a bit of effort to come up with the conclusion that they are being racist.